Bobbin whirl gears for roving frames



Nov. 8, 1966 w. F. LEE

BOBBIN WHIRL GEARS FOR ROVING FRAMES Filed Feb. 14, 1964 INVENTOR W/YI/bm E Lee ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 3,283,401 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,491 BOBBIN WHIRL GEARS FOR ROVING FRAMES William Franklin Lee, 201 Howard Aden Apts., Spartanburg, SC. Filed Feb. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 345,020 8 Claims. (Cl. 57-102) My invention relates to improvements in so-called bobbin whirl gears which are used as the bobbin-supporting and drive means on the roving frames, or the like, employed by the textile industry.

As is well known, roving frames are employed in the Working of cotton, wool, or kindred textile fibres from sliver form through one or more roving stages to a condition suitable for spinning into yarn. Roving frames are variously designated as slubbers, intermediates, or jack frames, the name generally depending on the size of roving and resulting bobbin package handled on the frame.

A slubber frame, for instance, is conventionally employed in the carding room of a cotton mill and acts on the carding machine-prepared sliver-form fibre to build up on each of a plurality of driven bobbins a so-called package comprising multiple layers of windings of a now twisted, plural strand, and embryo yam-like product.

On the subject of roving frames it may be said that same consist essentially of drafting means for working the textile fibres being processed through the roving stage, and a bobbin building mechanism which receives the roving from the drafting means and builds same into a bobbin package for transfer to a subsequent processing operation.

The characteristic bobbin building mechanism in, for instance, cotton mill roving frames comprises a plurality of elongated upstanding spindles which are rotated continuously during operation of the roving frame. Each of said spindles carries a so-called fiyer at its upper end for receiving a roving from the drafting means and directing it onto the related bobbin which is concentric with its spindle and is relatively rotated with respect to the latter.

Each bobbin receives a roving from its related fiyer, and is carried on a tubular bolster which is slidingly arranged on its associated fiyer-carrying spindle. The respective tubular bolsters are, in turn, fitted with a driven bobbin gear which provides a concentric seat for a bobbin and a drive connection for the latter, so that each bobbin will be rotated with its gear about the related tubular bolster.

Also, a so-called bolster rail, which supports the tubular bolsters and bobbin whirl gear drive means, partakes of a vertical reciprocating movement during the packagebuilding operation. This results in rovings being directed onto the respective bobbins in a particular winding pattern to build the bobbin packages.

Roving frame operation is beset with the expensive necessity for frequent bobbin gear replacement due to both breakage and wear. This is primarily because the seats of said gears which support the bobbins during the package building operation are subjected to a substantial thrust load in service. Frequent oiling of the central bearing portions of the Whirl gears is resorted to to reduce heat generation.

But oiling does not solve the gear breakage problem as breakage usually occurs at the site of central seat-provided collar which enters the lower bobbin opening. This seat-provided collar of the conventional bobbin whirl gear constitutes substantially the sole means for maintaining a true concentric relationship between the gear and related bobbin and thus is subjected to the aforementioned substantial thrust load in service.

Therefore the present invention has for its primary object to provide a bobbin whirl gear of greatly increased durability and wherein the bobbin-supporting upper portion provides a seat having an exterior bobbin basesustaining and thrust load absorbing flange means which will substantially reduce wear of the central gear bearing in service.

Another important feature is a novelly sustained bobbin drive cleat which will not break or work loose and contribute to bobbin wobbling in service.

Another object is to provide a weightier and better balanced whirl gear which will run much truer on the bolster than do conventional gears so that poor package formation will be avoided.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a bobbin whirl gear which is long lived, simple and inexpensive in construction, and highly efiicient in practical use.

Other objects and advantages of my development Will be readily apparent to those versed in the art as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which shows the invention in now preferred form. It is to be emphasized, however, that the present drawing disclosure is to be taken as illustrative rather than limitative as my inventive concept is susceptible of other mechanical expressions within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawing, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts throughout the several views FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the bobbin package building portion of a roving frame and showing two of my improved bobbin whirl gears, one of which, along with related parts, being illustrated in section;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my improved bobbin whirl gear;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a bobbin and associated whirl gear taken on the line 22 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an end view of a conventional bobbin.

Referring by reference characters to FIG. 1 of the drawing which shows two bobbin package building units, 8 indicates processed rovings which are delivered from the roving frame-provided drafting means (not shown) to the respective conventional rotating fiyers 9. Each fiyer 9 is carried as usual by an elongated rotatably driven spindle 10 which has a bevel gear 11 on its lower end. The respective spindle-carried bevel gears 11 are driven by bevel gears 12 on drive shaft 13, which latter is conventionally journalled in bearings on a fixed roving frame portion 14.

FIG. 1 also shows bobbin packages 15 which are formed by fiyers 9 on the usual elongated tubular bobbins 16 whose base portions 16a are supported and rotatably driven by seat means at the tops of the upstanding main body portions 17a of whirl gear units 17, each of which has a fixed lower end-carried bevel gear 18. The bevel gears 18 of the whirl gear units 17 are driven by beveled gears 19 that are fast on a shaft 20, which latter is carried by the customary vertically reciprocatory bolster rail 21.

FIG. 1 also indicates the usual tubular bolsters 22 that slidably extend through the respective bobbins 16 and surround the related spindles 10. The enlarged base portions 22a of bolsters 22 support the bevel gear ends of whirl gear units 17 and are, in turn, supported in any preferred manner by the vertically reciprocatory bolster rail 21 or by its shaft 20.

In the familiar package building operation, the bolster rail 21, along with shaft 20, bolsters 22 and the rotating bobbin-carrying whirl gear units 17, moves up and down relatively of the rotating roving-delivering flyers 9 in a manner to build the tapered ended packages 15.

The foregoing detailed description, as will be understood, deals with the conventional art apparatus.

The novel bobbin whirl gear unit Coming now to my novel whirl gear unit 17, FIGS..

2 and 3 indicate that its main body portion 17a is preferably of inverted tubular cone-like form with its larger whirl gear body 17a and bolster 22.

The drive means for the bobbin 16 comprises a lug 25 which is secured in flange (2 and seat (23) provided overheating, the bore, or passage 23, which extends through the gear body 17a, and bevel gear 18 is provided with the brass or bronze liner 30.

In view of the flange 24 surrounding the bobbin base seat 23 and its substantial height, the extreme thrust load to which the bobbin 16 is subjected in service will be absorbed by the flange 24 so as to virtually eliminate any tendency of the whirl gear 17 itself to frictionally bind against the tubular bolster 22 as the machine operates. This contributes to the longer life enjoyed by my bobbin gear unit 17. Also the weight of the bobbin gear body portion 17a has a stabilizing effect and means for true running of the whirl gear 17 and the bobbin 16 which it supports.

The annular bevel gear element 18 of my whirl gear unit 17 will be suitably secured on the sleeve extension 17b of the body portion 17a, such as by the threading shown in FIG. 3.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a long lived and highly eflicient whirl gear unit which entirely eliminates the upstanding and so frequently worn out or broken bobbin-centering collar of prior art Whirl gear units. Also, the present construction substantially eliminates wear as to bolsters 22 and thus increases the useful life of same.

Furthermore, the bobbin drive cleat or key 25 being located in seat and flange notches 23, 24 is locked in place so to speak. Thus cleat or key 25 cannot work loose and permit the bobbin to shift relatively of its bolster 22,.as is the case with bobbin drive keys of the prior art with resultant bobbin wobbling and damage to both the bobbin and roving.

While a cone form unit makes for excellent balance and is preferred, same may be otherwise shaped. Also the unit may be made of various materials and in one piece or otherwise.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1.'A bobbin gear for roving frame bolsters and comprising a tubular body portion for rotation on a bolster, an annular drive gear functionally integral with one end of said body portion, the other end of said body portion providing a seat for a bobbin base, an element of a bobbin drive connection provided by said seat, and .an endless functionally integral flange surrounding said seat to sustainingly engage a bobbin base to maintain the related bobbin concentric with said body and gear, :and said tubular body portion being of weighty material and of progressively reduced cross section from said seatproviding end to said annular drive gear and being diametrically reduced with respect to exterior dimensions of the latter.

\ upper end providing the annular seat 23 about the bolsterreceiving passage 23a for the base 16a of the bobbin 16. i This bobbin seat 23 is surrounded by the external flange 24 whose inner surface makes snug sustaining engagement with the bobbins base a so as to prevent any wob- L bling tendency of the bobbin 16 in reference to the 2. The structure of claim 1, and said bobbin drive element comprising a bobbin base recess engaging lug which is in part sustained and carried by each of said seat and flange.

3. A driven bobbin-supporting and rotating whirl gear for textile roving frames comprising in combination, a main body portion and a bevel gear concentrically secured to the lower end of said main body portion, said main body portion and bevel gear having a concentric, circular bore extending therethrough for passage of the conventional bolster, through which extends the driven flyer: carrying spindle, the upper end of said main body portion having a bobbin base-receiving seat, an endless upstanding flange defining the outer margin of said seat for contiguous sustaining engagement with a substantial depth-wise area of a bobbin base throughout the entire exterior extent of the latter, an inwardly extending lug in part sustained by each of said seat and endless surrounding flange, said lug adapted for snug selective engagement in one of the several conventional bobbin base-providing recesses, said main body portion having a concentric lower and externally threaded extension on which said bevel gear is screwed, and a reinforcing wear resisting sleeve lodged in said main body and extension and functionally integral with said main body and bevel gear.

4. A driven bobbin-supporting and rotating whirl gear for textile roving frames comprising in combination, a

main body portion and a bevel gear concentrically secured to the lower. end of said main body portion, said main body portion and bevel gear having a concentric circular bore extending therethrough for passage of the conventional bolster, through which extends the driven flyercarrying spindle, the upper end of said main body portion having a bobbin base-receiving seat, an endless upstanding flange defining the outer margin of said seat for contiguous sustaining engagement with a substantial depth-Wise area of a bobbin base throughout the entire exterior extent of the latter, an inwardly extending lug in part sustained by each of said seat and endless surrounding flange,said lug adapted for snug selective engagementin one of the several conventional bobbin baseproviding recesses, said main body portion having a concentric lower end extension on which said bevel gear is fixedly secured, and a reinforcing wear resisting sleeve in said main body and gear-provided bore and functionally integral with said main body and gear portions, and said seat and flange formed by a recess in said firstmentioned body end, said body portion being of weighty material, and of progressively reduced cross section from said seat-providing end to said annular drive gear, and being diametrically reduced with respect to exterior dimensions of the latter.

5. A bobbin whirl gear for roving frame bolsters and comprising a tubular body portion for rotation on a bolster, an annular drive gear functionally integral with one end of said body portion, the other end of said body of said flange disposed at a right angle to the said bobbin base to uniformly engage the latter. v 7. The structure of claim 5, and said seat and flange having communicating notches, and said bobbin drive elementcomprising a bobbin base recess-engaging lug seating in part in said notches.

8. The structure of claim 5, and said seatiand flange formed by a recess in said first mentioned body end,

and said bobbin drive element comprising a bobbin base i 5 6 recess engaging lug which is in part keyed to said seat FOREIGN PATENTS and flange- 145,282 7/1920 Great Britain.

References Cited by the Examiner FRANK COHEN, Primary Emmi-"en UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 MERVIN STEIN Examiner. 2,168,248 8/1939 Staufert 57130 2,533,669 12/1950 Hollingsworth 67102 WATKINSASSiSM Examine" 

5. A BOBBIN WHIRL GEAR FOR ROVING FRAME BOLSTERS AND COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY PORTION FOR ROTATION ON A BOLSTER, AN ANNULAR DRIVE GEAR FUNCTIONALLY INTEGRAL WITH ONE END OF SAID BODY PORTION, THE OTHER END OF SAID BODY PORTION PROVIDING A SEAT FOR A BOBBIN BASE, AN ELEMENT OF A BOBBIN DRIVE CONNECTION PROVIDED BY SAID SEAT, AND AN ENDLESS FUNCTIONALLY INTEGRAL FLANGE SURROUNDING SAID SEAT TO SUSTAININGLY ENGAGE THE SIDE OF A BOBBIN BASE IN SNUG RELATION FROM SAID SEAT TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE OUTER END OF THE FLANGE AND MAINTAIN THE RELATED BOBBIN FIRMLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID BODY PORTION AND GEAR. 